Re: Arabeyes -- a critique

[Maja van der Velden <maja at xs4all dot nl>]

Hi,

I became interested in Arabeyes when I researched the FOSS 'movement' 
in the Arab region for a paper on Arab knowledge diversity. If Arabeyes 
isn't involved in advocacy, it is important that it works closely 
together with organisations that do. There is e.g. a lot happening on 
FOSS in Asia and Africa because localisation and advocacy groups are 
networking and sharing resources. They receive funding to organise 
workshops and conferences (see e.g. the one coming up In Bangalore - 
Asia Source http://www.tacticaltech.org/asiasource/announcement and 
more here: http://www.tacticaltech.org/node/186

Networking will bring you publicity and funding and ideas on how to 
grow as an organisation and become more effective.

I am sorry I can't help you with Arabisation projects but I remain 
interested in your work because I believe your work is an important 
part of strengthening Arabic languages and cultures.

Salaam, Maja


On Jan 13, 2005, at 11:55 AM, Alaa Abd El Fattah wrote:

> it is not arabeyes job to promote and advocate FOSS, this is for LUGS
> and advocacy groups to do.
>
> based on this assumption I can only see 3 paths for arabeyes to follow
>
> 1- make advocacy part of arabeyes work and put effort in solving the
> root of the problem
>
> 2- think of changes to arabeyes methods and goals with the assumption
> that number of contributors will always be small
>
> 3- continue as is and hope the community will grow on its own accord 
> and
> through the efforts of others
>
>
> I think the best option is option 2.

Maja van der Velden
http://www.globalagenda.org